The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has directed its members to reduce petroleum pump price from N145 to N140 as part of the association’s contribution towards encouraging voters to participate in the election processes.
The directive was announced on Sunday by the National President of the association, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, represented by Northwest Zonal chairman of the association, Alhaji Bashir Salisu Tahir in Kano.
According to him, the association’s president, Mr. Okworonkwo has directed that the implementation of the directives should take effective from Wednesday.
He said the decision followed last Saturday’s postponement of Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to him, Nigerians had travelled to different places across the country in order to cast their votes, but to their dismay, the elections were shifted.
He added that IPMAN was prompted to slash N5 from the N145 official petroleum pump price in a bid to motivate Nigerians to return to their respective destinations to vote on February 23 and March 9 respectively.
“We urged all our members across Nigeria to immediately reduce the price of petroleum pump price from N145 to N140 as directed.
“This is because of the political situation that hit the country after INEC suddenly announced the postponement of Presidential and National Assembly elections after Nigerians were fully prepared.
“We are all aware how Nigerians travelled to different destinations across the country in order to exercise their civic duty; unfortunately, they heard a sad news of postponement of the polls.
“This made us deemed it fit to reduce the pump price in order to ease their suffering, and to also motivate them to travel again to exercise their franchise on February 23,” he said.
The IPMAN president urged his members nationwide to immediately implement the directives maintaining that the IPMAN’s decision to reduce the petroleum pump price followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s concern over the election postponement.
“We decided to express our concern over the postponement, as President Buhari expressed concern over the development. As Buhari apologised to Nigerians to show restraint and return to polling units on February 23, IPMAN therefore called on the citizens to exercise patience and come out en masse to cast their votes on the rescheduled date,” he said.
